1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices to prevent plant growth outdoors, and more particularly, to devices for preventing growth of grass and weeds at the bases of trees, shrubbery, fences, walls of a building, lamp posts, and any area that cannot be reached by the blade of a mower.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Grass and weeds that grow on a lawn are generally cut by a mower when the length is undesirably long. However, the blade of the mower does reach right up to the sides of vertical surfaces such as the bases of trees, shrubbery, fences, walls of a building, lamp posts, and any other vertical surface that is adjacent to the lawn that is cut. To cut the lawn that is not cut by the mower near the vertical surfaces, either manual trimming or trimming with a separate powered implement must be done. For many people, it would be very inconvenient and laborious to trim around the edges of the vertical structures which are missed by the mower. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device were provided that avoided the necessity of trimming around the edges of vertical structures after a mowing operation.
A conventional alternative to manual trimming is the use of a powered (either electrically or gasoline powered) apparatus specifically designed to trim plant matter missed by a mower blade. One undesirable aspect of using a powered trimmer is the extra power consumption that need be employed. Another undesirable aspect of using a powered trimmer is the extra work that must be employed. In this respect, a lawn mowing chore is multiplied to become a lawn mowing chore and an edge trimming chore. In this respect, it would be desirable to provide a device which avoided the need to perform an edge trimming chore when a lawn mowing chore has been done.
A conventional method that is sometimes used to reduce the need for edge trimming around vertical surfaces is the use of a layer of gravel or mulch placed adjacent to the vertical surfaces. The purposed of the gravel or mulch is to prevent growth of the lawn or weeds where the gravel or mulch is placed. Gravel or mulch have a number of undesirable characteristics. Both are composed of relatively small particles which are susceptible to be blown away by winds or washed away by rain water. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device were provided that prevented the growth of lawn or weeds near vertical surfaces and that was not susceptible to being blown away by winds or washed away by rain.
Moreover, with gravel and mulch, because of their particulate nature, blades of grass or shafts of weeds often grow up between individual particles of the gravel or mulch. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device were provided which avoided grass or weeds from growing between particulate material.
A number of edging devices are disclosed in the prior art of United States patents. Some examples of such devices are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,762,113; 4,907,783; 5,020,272; 5,067,273; and Des. 276,494. All of these cited patents have one undesirable feature in common. They include vertically placed edging devices which substitute the vertical surfaces of the edging devices for the vertical surfaces of the that are protected by the edging devices. Thus, even with the patented devices, the blade of a mower does reach right up to the sides of the vertical edger surfaces. Therefore, even with the patented devices, a separate trimming operation must be performed to cut the lawn or weeds missed by the mower blade.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use vertical edger devices near vertical surfaces, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a modular plant growth prevention apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) avoiding the necessity of trimming around the edges of vertical structures after a mowing operation; (2) avoiding using a powered trimmer and the extra power consumption that need be employed; (3) avoiding the need to perform an edge trimming chore when a lawn mowing chore has been done; (4) preventing the growth of lawn or weeds near vertical surfaces by means that are not susceptible to being blown away by winds or washed away by rain; and (5) preventing grass or weeds from growing between particulate material. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique modular plant growth prevention apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.